South Africa likely to unleash their new weapon at Centurion

With Dale Steyn out for the remainder of the Test series, South Africa needed to find a quality replacement for the Phalaborwa Express. And the Proteas look likely to unleash a towering Lungi Ngidi in the pacer friendly SuperSport Park wicket for the second Test against India. Ngidi might as well make his test debut for an injured Dale Steyn. Chris Morris is also in the reckoning for the fourth seamer spot.

Standing at six and a half feet tall, the paceman is reckoned for bowling at speeds of over 140 km per hour. Heralded as one of South Africa’s most promising limited-overs prospects, the 21-year-old  Ngidi is from Durban and was schooled at Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Hilton College. The youngster had been involved at every provincial age-group level from under-13.

In January last year, Ngidi was picked for South Africa’s T20I squad to face Sri Lanka and earned the Man of the Match on debut.

The team selection will be a tricky one

The team selection will be a major talking point for the deciding second Test at Centurion that kicks off on Saturday. The wicket at the SuperSport Park is expected to be favouring the fast bowlers. It will have enough pace, bounce, and movement than the one at Newlands.

According to XtraTime, the hosts are likely to go for one of Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi or Chris Morris as Dale Steyn’s replacement but they will field four quicks. That much is certain. If Ngidi does make his Test debut then the axe might fall on promising spinner Keshav Maharaj. The left arm spinner is the most promising spin bowler for Proteas at the moment but his services were only limited on pace-friendly wicket at Newlands

But with four fit and, hopefully, firing seamers operating, hosts might as well go in with an extra batsman in Temba Bavuma.